Pumpkin Bread Pudding

It’s only October, but the holiday recipes are already being posted everywhere 🙂 This is from epicurious.com, which occationally posts desserts that are easy enough for me to attempt with my small kitchen and limited baking skills. With it being so cold outsite, I really just can’t get enough of pumpkin and egg-nog flavored anything right now. I only made a few changes to the recipe from it’s original version, which I noted in the ingredients.

1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (This is about 1/2 can – I did a little more just because it’s good for you)
1/2 cup whole milk (I replaced half and half for both milk and heavy cream because it’s what I had on hand)
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I substituted 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie for the spices)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (This is my addition to make it a little richer)
5 cups cubed (1-inch) day-old baguette or crusty bread (day old french bread leftover from the soup last night!)
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted

– Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
– Whisk together cream, pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, yolk, salt, and spices in a bowl.
– Toss bread cubes with butter in another bowl
– Add pumpkin mixture and toss to coat.
– Transfer to an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish
– Bake until custard is set, 25 to 30 minutes.

Linda’s Notes:
– It took all of my willpower not to lick the pumpkin-mixture bowl (bad idea with raw eggs)
– I think you could substitute the milk, pumpkin and suger with a can of pumpkin pie mix
– Next time I think adding some brown sugar would give it a nice extra sweetness (I do this with pumpkin pie also)
– If you like your bread pudding a little less chewy, then use less bread.
– Serve with ice cream!!

Creamy Slow-Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

This is one of Paula Deen’s recipes on the Food Network site. This was posted as one of the most popular recipes for weeks. It’s really easy, really tasty and it makes a TON of food. I’m a big fan of hot dogs and mac ‘n cheese so I recommend throwing in some cut up hot dogs at the end.

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese (I increased this a little from original recipe)
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

– Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until barely tender, drain.
– In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese and stir until cheese melts.
– In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well.
– Add drained macaroni and stir again.
– Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Linda’s Notes:
– I increased the cheese a little on this recipe because that was the only thing I found to be lacking
– I added a little onion powder to this, but I think cooking a little onions in the butter before adding the cheese would be a good addition
– I recommend not cooking this any more than 3 hours and maybe even doing a little less, othewise it will get very dry.

Slow Cooker Mexican Pork


This is hopefully the start of several good slow-cooker recipes that I’m going to post. God knows there are a lot of bad ones (most courtesy of Sandra Lee). I did a search for slow-cooker recipes on the Betty Crocker website and this was one of the ones that seemed easy while still looking pretty delicious. I noticed that a lot of recipes require some stove top preparation prior to the slow cooker step… if you have to use the stove top, then doesn’t that defeat the purpose of “set it and forget it?” The pork on this recipe comes out really tender too!

1 lb boneless pork loin roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 1/4 cups of chunky salsa (from 24-oz jar)
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles, drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)

– In 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix pork, salsa and chiles.
– Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.
– Stir in beans. Cover; cook on Low heat setting about 5 minutes or until beans are hot.
– Sprinkle with cheese.

Linda’s Notes
– I don’t really like spicy food and I forgot to buy the chiles… so I just added some good mexican hot sauce and it turned out fine 🙂
– I would suggest putting some sliced onions in at the start too give it a little richer flavor
– Best served with tortillas or rice!

Paula’s Chicken Georgia

This recipe is from Paula Deen’s “Say Cheese” show, but I think that it’s also a good dish for her quick-fix show. Rachael Ray might also think about stealing this one! This is really easy, so delicious, and super-fast (quicker than 30 minutes). I have made this a couple times now and I’ve changed the recipe a little for my taste.

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
4 tablespoons shallots (a sweet yellow onion works fine too)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

– Season chicken well with salt and pepper
– Melt butter over medium heat in large skillet.
– Add mushrooms, shallots, and garlic.
– Cook 10 minutes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
– Move mushroom mixture out to the sides of the skillet and add chicken to the center.
– Cook chicken 8-10 minutes on each side, or until tender.
– Transfer chicken to platter and sprinkle with grated cheese.
– Top with mushroom mixture and let stand 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Linda’s Notes:
– This recipe is really good with pork chops as well
– The garlic is optional and can be substituted with garlic powder
– Adding some rosemary or thyme could also be a nice variation

(here I decided to chop the chicken coarsely and serve with pasta)


Baked Red Snapper

We started eating fish at least weekly (not counting what comes from the Harris Teeter sushi counter) and it has really made our meals more healthy. I noticed that the calories are much less and you can get full without feeling overly full. I used to be a little scared of cooking fish, but then I figured out that you can use the same three recipes for pretty much all kinds. This recipe is about half from Google and half from my imagination/fridge-stock. Unfortunately… we ate this so quickly that I did not have time to take a picture.

2 red snapper filets (I cut one big filet in half)
4 – 6 tablespoons butter (depends on whether you are an Ellie Kreiger or a Paula Deen)
2 medium clove garlic minced
3 or 4 drops Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (Emeril’s is the best I think)
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Dash of sea salt
1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (eyeball this)
2 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

– Preheat over to 400 degrees
– Spray baking dish with butter-flavored cooking spray
– Place snapper filets in the dish and cover with salt/pepper
– Place olive oil, butter (not melted), garlic, cajun seasoning and Worcestershire in a microwave-safe dish and cook for 1-2 minutes. Once the butter is melted and the garlic is infused in the mixture, take it out and stir
– Brush butter mixture generously over the snapper filets
– Add the panko, parley, and cheese to the butter mixture. Stir and add panko as necessary to give it a stuffing consistency
– Cover the tops of the fish with the stuffing
– Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish is no longer clear and flakes easily

Boo’s Yummy Chicken Burgers

I don’t know if anyone else saw Rachael Ray’s show where she cooked the foods that her late dog loved, but it was really touching! I guess for those of us without children it nice to have “kids” to cook for even if they are on all fours. This recipe is not just dog food though… it is really tasty (and healthy) people food. I did, however, make my cat his own mini-burger and he loved it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (this is the key ingredient)
1 1/2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped parsley chopped
1/2 medium yellow skinned onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 slices sandwich white or whole-wheat bread
2 to 3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups chopped baby spinach, watercress or arugula

– Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
– Place chicken in a bowl and add the smoked paprika, grill seasoning and parsley to it.
– Using a hand held grater or microplane, grate the onion into the chicken.
– Add the garlic and mix to combine.
– Drizzle the chicken mixture with about 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
– Form 4 large thin patties then place them in the pan.
– Cook patties 5 minutes on each side.
– Toast bread slices and spread liberally with softened butter.
– Serve patties on buttered toast with some chopped dark greens.

Linda’s Notes:
– Ground turkey meat is fabulous as well!
– The pre-washed arugula and dark greens salad is easy for the greans part
– A thinly sliced tomato would be nice on top of the greens

Wasabi and Panko – Crusted Pork Tenderloin

This is a variation on a previous recipe that I posted previously. I think using the tenderloin is much better than the pork chops.

Pork Tenderloin
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs – other kinds of light breadcrumbs could work)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 average size tenderloin
Peanut oil (vegetable oil is fine too)

Sauce (you may need to double depending on size of tenderloin)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry (white wine works too)
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon wasabi paste

– Preheat oven to 450 degrees
– Dip pork in egg white; dredge in panko.
– Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; add tenderloin.
– Cook the pork until it is lightly browned on all sides.
– Place tenderloin in a roasting pan and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until just light pink in the center.
– Remove pork from pan, sprinkle with salt, let meat rest while you make the sauce.
– Add some roasting pan drippings and ginger to the pan where you browned your pork and cook 30 seconds on medium head, stirring constantly.
– Combine broth and the next 4 ingredients (through wasabi) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
– Add broth mixture to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in green onions.
– Cut pork tenderloin into medallions and spoon sauce over pork.

Linda’s Notes:
– This time I served this with green beans sauteed in garlic and olive oil.

Rachael’s Bacon and Egg Carbonara

Course Salt
1 pound Spaghetti
1/3 pound pancetta, cured Italian meat, chopped (bacon works too)
2 tablespoons
4 or 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, crushed in palm of hand
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
A handful fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
A few grinds black pepper

– Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil.
– When water is rolling, add salt and pasta and cook to al dente, about 8 minutes

– While pasta cooks, heat large skillet over moderate heat.
– Saute pancetta in a drizzle of oil until it browns, 3 to 5 minutes.
– Add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, and crushed pepper flakes.
– Saute garlic 2 minutes.
– Add wine or stock to the pan and reduce liquid by half, 2 minutes.

– Beat together egg yolks, cheese, and while whisking vigorously, stir in a ladle of the boiling pasta water.
– Beat in parsley and pepper and set aside.

– Drain pasta. Add pasta to pan with sauce.
– Toss pasta with pancetta, then add egg mixture and toss 1 minute, then remove from heat.
– Continue to toss until sauce is absorbed by and thickly coating the pasta.
– Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and serve with extra cheese, for passing.

Linda’s Notes:
– I didn’t have pancetta, so I used smoked bacon
– I garnished mine with tomatoes and basil instead of parsley since it’s what I had on hand
– This recipes moves really fast! It’s one of Rachael’s recipes that you can really do in 30 minutes.
– Make sure you are whisking the eggs furiously when you add the pasta water or you will have pasta and scrambled eggs.

Naked Snickers (or Naked Gooey-Nuts or Crescent Layer Bars)

This is a really easy pillsbury recipe that I got from one of those little magazines you find in the grocery store checkout. The original name was really boring, so after taking them to work they got renamed as Naked Snickers (or Naked Gooey-Nuts).

I changed the recipe a little to my taste:

1 can Pillsbury’s refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup each of white and semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups of nuts (I used peanuts, but cashews and almonds would be great too)
1 can (14 oz) condensed milk – not evaporated

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
– Spray bottom of 13 X 9 inch pan with cooking spray.
– Unroll dough into 2 long rectangles and press into pan.
– Pinch together where the triangles are separated.
– Back 5 minutes
– Sprinkle with the chocolate and nuts.
– Pour entire can of condensed milk on top.
– Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
– Cool 10 minutes.
– Run knife around eges of pan to loosen.
– Cool another 30 minutes and refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.
– Cut into bars.

Sinse these are made with condensed milk, you can store them at room temperature. Keeping them cold tends to make them harder to eat.

15 Minute Omelette Muffins

This is an idea I got from Rachael Ray’s “Get Real Meals” Cookbook. I think she calls them her mini frittatas, but I think to think of them like little egg muffins with stuff inside. This is a really cool breakfast meal because it’s easy and since they go in the oven you don’t have to babysit them like realy omelettes or frittatas.

This is a very versatile recipe:
6 slot muffin pan
8 eggs (can substitue egg beaters)
Sliced or Shredded Cheese (I used swiss and sharp cheddar
1 tbsp chives
Meat or Veggies (I used ham, but broccoli or sausage would be good too)
Dash of milk
Dash of hot sauce
Salt and Pepper

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
– Spray muffin pan well with cooking spray.
– Put meat/veggies in cups.
– Whisk together remaining ingredients. (reserve a small amount of cheese for the top)
– Pour egg mixture in each cup until just below the fill line.
– Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the egg is puffed up and they are just starting to brown
– If desired, sprinkle with cheese

Linda’s Notes:
– This recipe is my new favorite thing to make for breakfast! It is like making 6 omelettes at once and not having to stay by the stove 🙂
– There are a lot of different combinations of ingredients you could use, so use your favorite omelette fillings